Category Archives: News and Updates

Another big life project complete – So what!? We made a “Life List” a few years ago in a search for personal meaning for our lives – heavy stuff! We had quit our jobs (early 2011), had hiked the Appalachian Trail, and were part way down the West Coast of … Continue reading →

It’s a simple question, “How was your trip?” with a not-so-simple answer. It’s the post-travel question that everyone asks, and I find myself doing a quick assessment on every person that asks it, gauging how short of an answer they want, what sort of information they’d find interesting, and how … Continue reading →

For a brief time I became the king of the bedtime routine. And while my kingdom has now become an oligarchy, with Julie and I sharing duties and power in the realm of food and sleep, I learned valuable Dad lessons during my time on top. I also had what … Continue reading →

***I wrote this post when Paavo was 5 months old and I was feeling very overwhelmed by motherhood, a feeling that has lessened now that Paavo is 9 months old. Every day is still hard, tiring, and full to the brim without much of a break, but that feeling of … Continue reading →

Common question. Something that is often on our mind. Something that is rarely talked about. Money and finance. How do we do it? First, this is a topic that I’m really interested in. Second. It is a topic that we think about and are working on constantly. Lastly. It is … Continue reading →

June 7th marked Paavo’s 6 month mark and I’ve been thinking back to my first realizations of motherhood during the first few weeks of his life, and reflecting on what I now think about this whole motherhood thing. In short, it’s still really hard, I still haven’t slept much, and … Continue reading →

May 1st marked an important milestone for our family– Paavo received his first passport stamp when we arrived in Mexico City, where we’ll be staying for the next two months. For at least the rest of 2016, we will be calling the world our home, as we have left Seattle … Continue reading →

I owe an apology to all my mom friends out there. Ok, apologies to dads too, but this one’s especially for the mothers. Not only did I not realize how exhausting it is to raise another human being, I also did not realize how badly I was silently judging moms … Continue reading →

I’m just over 4 weeks into this world of motherhood and I’ve not only run the gamut of emotions, from extreme joy to extreme sadness, with tears accompanying both, but I’ve also had some stark realizations that I was completely unprepared for. Even with people telling me their own stories, … Continue reading →

Being pregnant these last several (+) months has been a unique, exciting experience that I’m in no hurry to end. From the beginning, I’ve had it easy. No morning sickness, no strange sense of smell, no cravings, no heartburn…such few symptoms that one of the only signs reminding me that … Continue reading →

We have three published books about hiking (Julie has done nearly all the work on making these books happen). They’ve all been for sale for at least 18 months. We’ve had thousands of copies downloaded. It’s been a rewarding experience in many ways. The work was largely put in on … Continue reading →

I remember nearly passing out while watching my first circumcision. I remember my friend Anna accidentally stabbing herself with a needle the first time we practiced giving injections. I remember the 95 year old woman that I worked with two weeks in a row that passed away before I arrived … Continue reading →

Relief. Excitement. Nervousness. After nine months of actively attempting to create a new human being, we were finally successful this past spring, and we were able to fully experience the range of emotions that come with this major life milestone. Julie is now 24 weeks into pregnancy with our little … Continue reading →

It’s time for a little spring cleaning in the Urbanski household and that means making room on the bookshelves. Over the last few years of publishing trail books, doing book signings, and selling books at local shops, we’ve accumulated a few extra copies of each book and they aren’t doing … Continue reading →

Our first co-authored book about our adventures has been published! A Long Way From Nowhere: A Couple’s Journey on the Continental Divide Trail has made it through the writing and editing phases and is now available for purchase on Amazon in ebook and paperback. In the book we tell the … Continue reading →

Wired is hiking the AT this summer and if you have an ounce of interest in hiking a trail or living vicariously through someone that is hiking a trail, then follow her on her blog www.walkingwithwired.com. While I would love to be thru-hiking this summer, it’s not in the … Continue reading →

I am excited to announce that I’ve been selected as a 2014 Gossamer Gear Trail Ambassador! Only a handful of people are picked for this role on a yearly basis and I’m proud to be in such a talented, enthusiastic group of people that all have a passion for the … Continue reading →

“Self Absorbed Hiker Does the AT” “Not Fond of the Author” “Complain Much?” “I would never, ever hike with this woman”. These are titles from some of the more scathing reviews Julie and I have endured since the publication of her second book, Between a Rock and a White Blaze … Continue reading →

There’s a new kid on the block, a new race in town, and that is the Tahoe 200. Yep, 200 miles around Lake Tahoe, all in one go, with a 100 hour cutoff time, and we’re running it. This epic event will take place September 5-9 (wow, never written down … Continue reading →

It’s high time I started professionally coaching distance runners. One, I’ve already been coaching for nearly a decade with family and friends. Two, with my school schedule I have the time and the flexibility, and three, I think there is a need for my type of coaching in Seattle (and … Continue reading →

I am once again on a team and I think I’ve landed on a really good one. I have joined forces with Seven Hills Running Shop in the Magnolia neighborhood in Seattle and with owner Phil Kochik. While my past running groups have been more focused on the speed of … Continue reading →

The idea of quality over quantity is by no means a new approach to training. However, as I often do, I’m taking it to a bit of an extreme. How extreme? I am generally running three quality days per week and unless there is a social run, usually with the … Continue reading →

Sometimes, despite great plans and dreaming, things don’t work out the way I envision them. Sometimes it’s out of my control and other times I quickly realize I could have done better to achieve what I set out to do. Either way, it’s time to write down this failure and … Continue reading →

Now that CDT preparations are in full swing, I have trail-talk on the brain at all times. I have pristine spreadsheets that calculate our pack weights (both under 10 pounds, woo hoo!), our daily calories (around 4200), and our resupply plan (25 resupply boxes). We have all our maps and … Continue reading →

Two years ago today we signed in for the last time at Fisher Investments. After over three years of pushing ourselves to succeed in the corporate world, we felt satisfied and ready to move on to new life experiences. And what an experience it’s been since. Since leaving the working … Continue reading →

As this year wraps up it’s time to make plans for the next. We’ve had an awesome 2012 on many levels, running included, and as a result, we’ve set the bar high for ourselves to keep pushing on for new experiences and new perspectives. We’re currently road-tripping down the West … Continue reading →

It’s Finally Here! We’re excited and proud to announce the publication of my second book, Between a Rock and a White Blaze: Searching for Significance on the Appalachian Trail. This book is a chronological tale about our 2011 AT thru-hike that covers everything, including the people we met, the crazy … Continue reading →

I have been a busy little bee in the last couple of weeks, and if you’re reading this story, hopefully you know why. In case you didn’t notice (and if you didn’t, we’re in trouble), Urbyville underwent some major remodeling. One of my projects over the last six months has … Continue reading →

Green jacket, you’ve been good to me. We’ve been through a lot together, but it’s time to say goodbye. You just aren’t the same rain coat that I bought six years ago and I’ve found another, one that is better in the rain, is a lighter weight, and quite frankly, … Continue reading →

We’re leaving Seattle in less than three weeks and heading east. While we have plenty on the agenda, the biggest for us is Operation Grandparents. We thankfully have 5 grandparents between the two of us and all between the ages of 85 and 90. We have spent so much time … Continue reading →

I’ve been MIA from Urbyville and I’m not too happy with it. I’ve also been super-productive and very busy. And now it’s crunch time as all our current Seattle projects are coming to a close over the next couple weeks. CFA I signed up for this test while we were … Continue reading →

…or in the Kindle, because by the time Christmas rolls around, you’ll need the space for my new book about our 2011 Appalachian Trail thru-hike. I’ve been working on the book since June and just yesterday ordered my first sample copy of the book, so I’m excited to share the … Continue reading →

After my second track workout of the week, I am happily feeling back on track with my running and on a good path forward to better racing. We both decided to hop back on the track to work on our speed for a couple reasons. First, after a long season … Continue reading →

The month long break from Urbyville updates will soon come to an end. We have finished our 486 mile thru-hike of the Colorado Trail and I successfully survived the Leadville 100 mile “Race Across the Sky”. We have been without our computer and have been virtually disconnected from the world … Continue reading →

School’s almost out and we’re almost ready to get out of here. We pushed it through 8 weeks of summer intensity here in Seattle and are now ready for a little vacation. We leave next week for the Leadville 100 mile race and the 486 mile Colorado Trail; I love … Continue reading →

The idea for beginning to think about the topic of death surfaced a little over a year ago while hiking the Appalachian Trail. I listened to philosophy lectures on my iPod and there was a specific lecture focused on the thoughts of Martin Heidegger that set all this in motion. … Continue reading →

With the Leadville 100 quickly approaching (5 weeks away), training is getting serious. This weekend was supposed to be an epic run of the Wonderland trail around Mt. Rainier. However, earlier this week I called the ranger station to find out it’s still heavily under snow and not ready for … Continue reading →

Three things I know for sure: I don’t like the taste of seaweed, I’m not a huge fan of pickled things, and I love ice cream. Taking into account those three things, last week’s detox diet that strictly followed our newly purchased macrobiotic cookbook, written by Madonna’s personal chef of … Continue reading →

The finishers of the Wildwood Trail in one run – Alex, Steve and Matt What can I say but that it was an awesome day! One week ago, it looked to be only Julie and I running the 30+ mile Wildwood Trail through Forest Park and by the time the … Continue reading →

Things have been a little off in the Urbanski household lately, as I have been injured with stress-fracture like pain since the marathon in the Netherlands, so I’m taking time off and missing quite a bit of the summer racing and training that we’ve scheduled. The upside to my injury … Continue reading →

After a day of choking down seaweed, rubbery mushrooms, and squishy tofu, I’m mentally running through all the other things I’d rather eat along with all sorts of seemingly good reasons to end the detox diet Julie and I started upon our arrival into our new Seattle apartment; it’s only … Continue reading →

We have been bitten by the hiking bug again, and we’re not talking about ticks. As if this summer wasn’t jam-packed with enough exciting adventures, including two marathons, a 50 mile trail race, a 100 mile trail race, and two long trail runs of 36 and 93 miles, we have … Continue reading →

We’re back in America and we plan on staying for awhile. The Tour d’Europe and our Spring Marathon tour are finished and it’s time to look forward after all the great life experiences of the past few months filled with international travels and racing. It’s time to start the Super … Continue reading →

Being from Cincinnati, with my mom’s side of the family being from Kentucky, I made several trips as a middle-schooler to the Kentucky Derby. To me, it meant dressing up, seeing my Mammaw (translation: Grandma), seeing other Aunts, Uncles and cousins, and eating lots of carrot cake at the buffet. … Continue reading →

It’s been 13.5 months since we resigned our positions at Fisher Investments. We’ve walked the Appalachian Trail, we’ve ridden bicycles from Washington to the Mexican border, we’ve lived in Mexico, Guatemala, and Italy, run marathons and ultra marathons, and visited with great people all along the way. So what? It’s … Continue reading →

While we’re kicking off our spring marathon season this weekend with the inaugural Rock N’ Roll Madrid Marathon, we have also recently set our summer racing schedule by signing up for a host of races that should prove adventurous , challenging, and rewarding. Plus, I’m feeling highly over-confident today and … Continue reading →

After Guatemala, we had a quick week in Ohio, splitting time between Findlay and Cincinnati. And during that time, thanks to some asking around the community by my parents, we managed to get some great press relating to our adventures and some good promotional stuff for Julie’s book. We even … Continue reading →

Those that know the excitement that comes with signing up for a race online will appreciate the joy, apprehension, and pleasure I felt this past weekend, but add to that excitement the fact that we’re talking about marathons in Europe and that I signed up for four different races in … Continue reading →

We were waiting in the Honda lobby yesterday getting our car serviced when I finally got Julie to take an objective look at something that had been bothering her lately. We hadn’t seen any money come in from the sale of her books yet, either through Kindle or paperback. We … Continue reading →

I was talking with Urbyville’s number two fan Keith (my Mom has to be fan #1) and he told me about how he checks in on the website often and during dinner with some friends, was asked what Julie and I had been up to. His response, which he repeated … Continue reading →